US11578963B2 - Optical interference measurement apparatus - Google Patents

Optical interference measurement apparatus Download PDF

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US11578963B2
US11578963B2 US17/174,377 US202117174377A US11578963B2 US 11578963 B2 US11578963 B2 US 11578963B2 US 202117174377 A US202117174377 A US 202117174377A US 11578963 B2 US11578963 B2 US 11578963B2
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light
measurement
port
fiber coupler
optical
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US20210285755A1 (en
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Kazuya Kimura
Masayuki Hayakawa
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Omron Corp
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Omron Corp
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B9/00—Measuring instruments characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B9/02—Interferometers
    • G01B9/0209—Low-coherence interferometers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B9/00—Measuring instruments characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B9/02—Interferometers
    • G01B9/02001—Interferometers characterised by controlling or generating intrinsic radiation properties
    • G01B9/02007—Two or more frequencies or sources used for interferometric measurement
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B9/00—Measuring instruments characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B9/02—Interferometers
    • G01B9/02015—Interferometers characterised by the beam path configuration
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B11/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
    • G01B11/026—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness by measuring distance between sensor and object
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B9/00—Measuring instruments characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B9/02—Interferometers
    • G01B9/02001—Interferometers characterised by controlling or generating intrinsic radiation properties
    • G01B9/02002—Interferometers characterised by controlling or generating intrinsic radiation properties using two or more frequencies
    • G01B9/02003—Interferometers characterised by controlling or generating intrinsic radiation properties using two or more frequencies using beat frequencies
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S17/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
    • G01S17/02—Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
    • G01S17/06—Systems determining position data of a target
    • G01S17/08—Systems determining position data of a target for measuring distance only
    • G01S17/32—Systems determining position data of a target for measuring distance only using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
    • G01S17/34—Systems determining position data of a target for measuring distance only using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S17/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
    • G01S17/02—Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
    • G01S17/50—Systems of measurement based on relative movement of target
    • G01S17/58—Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/481—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements
    • G01S7/4814—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements of transmitters alone
    • G01S7/4815—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements of transmitters alone using multiple transmitters
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/481—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements
    • G01S7/4818—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements using optical fibres

Definitions

  • the disclosure relates to a ranging technique using optical interference.
  • a technique is known in which a measurement object is irradiated with coherent measurement light, and a distance, a speed, an oscillation, and the like are measured based on interference signals of reflected light (return light) and reference light (see WO 2017/187510).
  • invisible light such as infrared laser light is typically used.
  • WO 2017/187510 is an example of background art.
  • FA Vectory Automation
  • Methods for implementing the guide light irradiation function may include a configuration in which an irradiation optical system of the guide light is provided separately from an irradiation optical system of the measurement light, and a configuration in which the measurement light and the guide light are combined with each other, and the measurement object is irradiated with the resultant light from a common irradiation optical system.
  • the former configuration has a problem in that alignment of optical axes of the two irradiation optical systems is difficult and such a configuration incurs an increase in size of a measurement head.
  • a WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) coupler that is usually used as a means for multiplexing lights having different wavelengths is expensive and difficult to adopt.
  • a method using a dichroic mirror is conceivable, but there is a problem in that such a method incurs an increase in the number of components and size of the apparatus body.
  • An optical interference measurement apparatus may provide a guide light irradiation function of an optical interference measurement apparatus at low cost without incurring an increase in size of the apparatus.
  • An optical interference measurement apparatus may include a first light source that outputs measurement light that has a wavelength in an infrared range, a second light source that outputs guide light that has a wavelength in a visible range, a fiber coupler that includes at least a first port into which the measurement light is input, a second port into which the guide light is input, and a third port that outputs combined light formed by combining the measurement light and the guide light with each other, a measurement unit that emits the combined light to a measurement object and to receive return light that is reflected from the measurement object, and a processing unit that obtains information relating to a distance, a speed, or an oscillation the measurement object, based on an interference signal of the return light and the reference light, wherein the fiber coupler is formed by a single mode fiber that has a cutoff wavelength that is shorter than the wavelength of the measurement light and longer than the wavelength of the guide light.
  • the measurement position (position irradiated with the measurement light) can be visually confirmed. Furthermore, by using the fiber coupler that is formed by a single mode fiber that has a cutoff wavelength that is shorter than the wavelength of the measurement light and longer than the wavelength of the guide light, a means for synthesizing the measurement light and the guide light can be realized at low cost, and the apparatus body and the measurement unit can be easily made smaller.
  • a coupling ratio of a path from the first port to the third port of the fiber coupler is at least 50%.
  • the first light source is a wavelength swept light source.
  • the guide light may also be red light because the closer the wavelength of the measurement light (infrared light) is to that of the guide light, the smaller the influence of chromatic aberration on the optical system of the measurement unit is.
  • the measurement unit may also include an optical system in which chromatic aberration is corrected.
  • the reference light may also be part of the combined light that is reflected from a reference surface provided on an optical path between the third port of the fiber coupler and the measurement unit.
  • the reference surface may also be an end face of an optical fiber that is connected to the measurement unit.
  • the reference light may also be light obtained by branching part of the measurement light by a branching device provided on an optical path between the first light source and the first port of the fiber coupler.
  • the reference light may also be light obtained by branching part of the combined light by a branching device provided on the optical path between the third port of the fiber coupler and the measurement unit.
  • the fiber coupler may also include a fourth port from which the combined light is output, and the reference light may also be light output from the fourth port.
  • One or more embodiments may be implemented as an optical interference measurement apparatus, a distance measurement apparatus, a ranging sensor, and the like including at least part of the above configuration. Note that each of the above means and processes may be combined with each other to the extent possible in accordance with embodiments or alternative embodiments.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an optical interference measurement apparatus.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the outer appearance of an optical interference measurement apparatus.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a first embodiment.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a second embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a third embodiment.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a third embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating another variation of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a third embodiment.
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another variation of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 An example of a basic configuration and operations of an optical interference measurement apparatus in accordance with one or more embodiments is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .
  • An optical interference measurement apparatus 1 is an apparatus for measuring a distance, speed, or oscillation of a measurement object O by using optical interference.
  • the optical interference measurement apparatus 1 is constituted mainly including a measurement head (measurement unit) 10 , a measurement light source 11 (first light source) for outputting measurement light L 1 , a guide light source 12 (second light source) for outputting guide light L 2 , a fiber coupler 13 , a circulator 14 , a detector 15 , a processing unit 16 , an AD converter 17 , and optical fibers F 1 to F 5 .
  • a Fizeau interferometer is used as an example here, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, a Michelson interferometer, or another type of interferometer may also be used.
  • Light that has a wavelength in the infrared range is used for the measurement light L 1
  • light that has a wavelength in the visible range is used for the guide light L 2 .
  • the measurement position (position irradiated with the measurement light L 1 ) can be visually confirmed.
  • the light that is reflected from the measurement object O and is received by the measurement head 10 is guided to the optical fiber F 4 as return light L 4 .
  • part of the combined light L 3 is reflected from a reference surface RP and guided to the optical fiber F 4 as reference light L 5 .
  • an interference signal (beat signal) L 6 of the return light L 4 and the reference light L 5 is guided to the detector 15 via the circulator 14 , is subjected to a photoelectric conversion, and thereafter, is input to the processing unit 16 via the AD convertor 17 .
  • the interference signal L 6 includes a frequency component corresponding to a difference in optical path length between the return light L 4 and the reference light L 5 , that is, a distance to the measurement object O. Accordingly, by performing frequency analysis on the interference signal L 6 with the processing unit 16 , information such as distance, speed, oscillation of the measurement object O can be obtained.
  • a single mode fiber coupler as the fiber coupler 13 , formed by a single mode fiber that has a cutoff wavelength that is shorter than the wavelength of the measurement light L 1 and longer than the wavelength of the guide light L 2 .
  • the means for synthesizing the measurement light L 1 and the guide light L 2 can be realized at low cost. Note that, although the guide light L 2 is transferred in a multi-mode, measurement of the distance and the like is not influenced by that, and thus there is no problem in particular.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the outer appearance of the optical interference measurement apparatus
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the optical interference measurement apparatus.
  • the optical interference measurement apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus for ranging the measurement object O by using a coherent FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave).
  • the optical interference measurement apparatus 1 generally includes a controller (apparatus main body) 20 and the measurement head 10 , and irradiation with the measurement light and reception of the reflecting light are performed at the leading end of the measurement head 10 .
  • the controller 20 is constituted mainly including the measurement light source 11 for outputting the measurement light L 1 , the guide light source 12 for outputting the guide light L 2 , the fiber coupler 13 , the circulator 14 , the detector 15 , the AD converter 17 , the processing unit 16 , fiber couplers 31 and 32 , a difference detector 33 , a clock generator 34 , and optical fibers F 1 to F 10 .
  • a Fizeau main interferometer MI is constituted by the circulator 14 , the measurement head 10 , and the optical fibers F 3 and F 5
  • a subordinate interferometer SI is constituted by the fiber couplers 31 and 32 , and the optical fibers F 7 and F 8 .
  • the main interferometer MI is an interferometer for measurement
  • the subordinate interferometer SI is an interferometer for correcting the characteristics of the measurement light source 11 .
  • the measurement light source 11 is a light source that is capable of outputting coherent measurement light L 1 , and uses a wavelength swept light source that is capable of temporally sweeping the wavelength of the measurement light L 1 for the FMCW.
  • the wavelength swept light source include a current modulation VCSEL, a MEMS-driven VCSEL and SSG-DBR, and the like, and any type of light source may be used.
  • a current modulation VCSEL is used due to the advantage that it is low-cost.
  • a near infrared laser having a wavelength of 1310 to 1550 nm is used as the measurement light L 1 , for example.
  • the wavelength sweeping is performed using a triangular wave in the present embodiment, the wavelength sweeping may also be performed using a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, or another waveform.
  • the guide light source 12 is a light source for outputting the guide light L 2 .
  • red laser is used in the present embodiment. Red laser is used because the closer the wavelength of the measurement light L 1 is to the wavelength of the guide light L 2 , the smaller the influence of chromatic aberration on the optical system of the measurement head 10 is. In addition, there is an advantage in that the light source of red laser is lower in costs compared to the light sources of the other colors.
  • the fiber coupler 13 has two inputs and two outputs.
  • the measurement light L 1 is input to a first port via the optical fiber F 1
  • the guide light L 2 is input to a second port via the optical fiber F 2 .
  • the combined light L 3 formed by combining the measurement light L 1 and the guide light L 2 is output from a third port and a fourth port.
  • the third port is connected to the optical fiber F 3 on the main interferometer MI side
  • the fourth port is connected to the optical fiber F 6 on the subordinate interferometer SI side.
  • the single mode fiber coupler 13 formed by a single mode fiber that has a cutoff wavelength that is shorter than the wavelength of the measurement light L 1 and longer than the wavelength of the guide light L 2 . It may be preferable that a coupling ratio (branch ratio) is set such that the coupling ratio of the path from the first port to the third port is at least 50%.
  • the circulator 14 is a fiber component that has a function of outputting the light that is input by the optical fiber F 3 to the optical fiber F 4 , and outputting the light that is input by the optical fiber F 4 to the optical fiber F 5 .
  • a fiber coupler may also be used instead of the circulator 14 .
  • the measurement head 10 is a unit for performing irradiation of the measurement object O with the combined light L 3 , and reception of the light reflected from the measurement object O.
  • the measurement head 10 has a structure in which an optical system 10 a is provided inside a lens barrel shaped like a cylinder having a diameter of approximately 1.5 cm and a length of approximately 3 cm or a rectangular tube, for example.
  • the optical system 10 a may be a collimated lens for projecting a parallel beam, or a light-collecting lens for converging the beam at the measurement position on the measurement object O.
  • a lens in which chromatic aberration is corrected also referred to as “achromatic lens” may be used for the optical system 10 a .
  • the two light beams are displaced from each other, and the spot of the guide light L 2 may not accurately indicate the measurement position.
  • a lens in which chromatic aberration is corrected displacement between the two light beams can be as small as possible, and accuracy of the projection position of the guide light L 2 can be ensured.
  • the reference surface RP is provided on an optical path between the circulator 14 and the measurement head 10 .
  • the reference surface RP is a structure for forming the referent light L 5 by reflecting part of the combined light L 3 .
  • the reflectance ratio of the reference surface RP is preferably less than 50%, and more preferably 10% or less.
  • the method of forming the reference surface RP is not particularly limited.
  • the reference surface RP may also be formed by, for example, vapor deposition of a partially reflective mirror on the end face of the optical fiber F 4 .
  • the end surface of the optical fiber F 4 may be set to a flat surface that is perpendicular to the optical axis, an air layer or a region filled with a refractive index matching material is formed between the optical fiber F 4 and the measurement head 10 , and Fresnel reflection that occurs on the boundary face of the refractive index may also be used.
  • reflection on the lens surface in the optical system 10 a of the measurement head 10 may also be used.
  • the return light L 4 that is reflected from the measurement object O and received by the measurement head 10 and the reference light L 5 that is reflected from the reference surface RP have a phase difference that corresponds to twice the optical path length from the reference surface RP to the measurement object O. Accordingly, the return light L 4 and the reference light L 5 interfere with each other on the reference surface RP, and an interference signal (beat signal) L 6 having a frequency component corresponding to the phase difference is generated.
  • the interference signal L 6 is guided to the detector 15 via the circulator 14 .
  • the detector 15 is photoelectric conversion element for converting the interference signal L 6 that is input by the optical fiber F 5 to an electric signal.
  • the AD converter 17 converts the electric signal obtained by the detector 15 to a digital signal. Sampling is performed by the AD converter 17 in accordance with the clock signals supplied from the clock generator 34 .
  • the processing unit 16 is a unit that performs frequency analysis on the interference signal thus AD-converted, and calculates the distance, speed, and oscillation (hereinafter collectively called “distance information”) regarding the measurement object O.
  • the processing unit 16 is constituted by, for example, an operation processing device including a processor and a memory.
  • a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) may also be used as the processor.
  • information such as distance, speed, and oscillation which is the result of operation by the processing unit 16 , is output to an external apparatus (e.g., PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a robot, an inspection apparatus, or a host computer) and used for controlling FA equipment, various inspections, and the like.
  • PLC Programmable Logic Controller
  • the fiber couplers 31 and 32 are single mode fiber couplers having a coupling ratio of 50%.
  • a subordinate interferometer SI is constituted by providing a predetermined difference in optical path length between the optical fiber F 7 and the optical fiber F 8 .
  • the combined light L 3 that is input to the subordinate interferometer SI from the optical fiber F 6 is branched by the fiber coupler 31 , and thereafter the resultant lights beams are combined with each other by the fiber coupler 32 .
  • the light that passes through the optical fiber F 7 and the light that passes through the optical fiber F 8 interfere with each other in the fiber coupler 32 , and signals, in which the interference signals in the opposite phases are respectively superimposed on a triangular wave, are output from two output port of the fiber coupler 32 .
  • a difference detector 33 (also called a “balanced photodetector”) converts the signals output by the subordinate interferometer SI to electric signals, and outputs the difference between the two signals.
  • the triangular wave and laser noise between the two signals thereby offset each other, the interference signal component is amplified, and thus the interference signal having a good SN ratio can be obtained.
  • the clock generator 34 is a circuit that generates a clock signal from a zero-crossing time of the interference signal obtained by the difference detector 33 .
  • a sampling clock of the AD converter 17 is generated by using the subordinate interferometer SI. Since the sampling clock is generated from the measurement light that was actually output from the measurement light source 11 , the sampling clock is formed by clock signals at unequal intervals in accordance with the inclination of the wavelength sweeping of the measurement light. By sampling the interference signals of the main interferometer MI at unequal intervals using the sampling clock, a result that is equivalent to that of sampling at equal interval phases can be obtained. Accordingly, reliability of frequency analysis and ranging accuracy can be improved.
  • the interference signals at equal interval phases may also be generated by the processing unit 16 estimating the inclination (non-linearity) of the wavelength sweeping, based on the interference signals of the subordinate interference signal SI, and interpolating the interference signals of the main interferometer MI that are sampled at equal intervals by the AD converter 17 .
  • the linearity of the measurement light that is output from the measurement light source 11 may also be ensured by giving the distortion in the opposite direction to the control signal for sweeping the wavelength of the measurement light source 11 in advance such that the control signal and the light source characteristics offset each other.
  • the measurement position can be visually confirmed by using the guide light projected on the measurement object, and thus convenience and reliability of the apparatus can be improved. Furthermore, by using a configuration in which the measurement light and the guide light are combined with each other by the single mode fiber coupler 13 , and the combined light is guided to the measurement head 10 , the controller 20 and the measurement head 10 can be readily made smaller. Furthermore, there is also an advantage in that a guide light irradiation function can be implemented at low cost compared to the case in which an expensive fiber component such as a WDM coupler is used.
  • FIG. 4 shows an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a second embodiment.
  • the second embodiment is a configuration example that also uses a Fizeau interferometer, the arrangement of the guide light source 12 is different from the first embodiment. The following description focuses on differences from the first embodiment.
  • the measurement light source 11 is connected to the fiber coupler 40 .
  • the measurement light L 1 is branched by the fiber coupler 40 , and the resultant light beams are respectively guided to the main interferometer MI via the optical fiber F 40 , and the subordinate interferometer SI via the optical fiber F 45 .
  • the guide light source 12 is connected to the fiber coupler 41 .
  • the guide light L 2 is guided to the fiber coupler 13 via the optical fiber F 44 , the fiber coupler 41 , and the optical fiber F 42 .
  • the fiber coupler 13 is the same as the fiber coupler 13 of the first embodiment ( FIG. 3 ) except that the fourth port is not provided.
  • the measurement light L 1 is input to the first port via the optical fiber F 40
  • the guide light L 2 is input to the second port via the optical fiber F 42 .
  • the combined light L 3 formed by combining the measurement light L 1 and the guide light L 2 with each other is output by the third port.
  • the combined light L 3 is guided to the measurement head 10 via the optical fiber F 41 .
  • the interference signal L 6 of the return light L 4 and the reference light L 5 is guided to the detector 15 via the fiber coupler 13 , the optical fiber F 42 , the fiber coupler 41 , and the optical fiber F 43 .
  • FIG. 5 shows a relevant portion of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a third embodiment.
  • the third embodiment is different from the above configuration examples in that a Michelson interferometer is used for the main interferometer MI.
  • the reference surface RP is formed at the end face of the optical fiber connected to the measurement head 10 , but in contrast, in the configuration example in FIG. 5 , the reference surface RP is formed by the reflector 50 .
  • the combined light L 3 that is branched by the fiber coupler (branching device) 51 provided on the optical path between the fiber coupler 13 and the measurement head 10 and is reflected from the reflector 50 is used as the reference light L 5 .
  • the return light L 4 from the measurement head 10 and the reference light L 5 from the reflector 50 interfere with each other in the fiber coupler 51 , and the interference signal L 6 that is output from the fiber coupler 51 is guided to the detector 15 .
  • FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 shows variations of the third embodiment.
  • part of the measurement light L 1 is branched by the fiber coupler 52 (branching device) provided on the optical path between the measurement light source 11 and the fiber coupler 13 , and the resultant light beam is used as the reference light L 5 .
  • the combined light L 3 formed by combining the lights by the fiber coupler 13 is output from the third port and the fourth port, and the combined light L 3 from the third port is used for measurement, and the combined light from the fourth port is used as the reference light L 5 .
  • FIG. 8 shows the relevant part of an optical interference measurement apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.
  • the fourth embodiment is different from the above configuration examples in that a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used as the main interferometer MI.
  • the main interferometer MI includes fiber couplers 60 , 61 , and 62 , and optical fibers F 60 to F 63 .
  • the main interferometer MI also includes a difference detector 63 instead of the detector 15 of the above configuration examples.
  • the combined light L 3 that is input via the optical fiber F 3 is branched by the fiber coupler 60 (branching device), and the resultant light beams are respectively guided to the optical fibers F 60 and F 63 .
  • the combined light L 3 that is branched into the optical fiber F 60 is guided to the measurement head 10 via the fiber coupler 62 and the optical fiber F 61 , and projected on the measurement object O.
  • the return light L 4 that is reflected from the measurement object O is input to the fiber coupler 61 from the measurement head 10 via the optical fiber F 61 , the fiber coupler 62 , and the optical fiber F 62 .
  • the combined light that is branched into the optical fiber F 63 is input to the fiber coupler 61 as reference light L 5 .
  • the difference detector 63 converts the signals that are output from the main interferometer MI into the electric signals, and outputs the difference between the two signals. With the above described operation, the interference signal having a good SN ratio can be obtained.
  • FIG. 9 shows a variation of the fourth embodiment.
  • part of the measurement light L 1 is branched by the fiber coupler 63 (branching device) provided on the optical path between the measurement light source 11 and the fiber coupler 13 , and the resultant light beam is used as the reference light L 5 .
  • the guide light source 12 is connected to the fiber coupler 64 , the guide light L 2 is input to the fiber coupler 13 via the fiber coupler 64 and the optical fiber F 62 , and is combined with the measurement light L 1 .
  • FIG. 10 shows another variation of the fourth embodiment.
  • the combined light L 3 formed by combining the lights by the fiber coupler 13 is output from the third port and the fourth port, and the combined light L 3 from the third port is used for measurement, and the combined light from the fourth port is used as the reference light L 5 .
  • An optical interference measurement apparatus may include:
  • a first light source that is configured to output measurement light that has a wavelength in an infrared range
  • a second light source that is configured to output guide light that has a wavelength in a visible range
  • a fiber coupler that includes at least a first port into which the measurement light is input, a second port into which the guide light is input, and a third port that outputs combined light formed by combining the measurement light and the guide light with each other;
  • a measurement unit that is configured to emit the combined light to a measurement object and receive return light that is reflected from a measurement object;
  • a processing unit that is configured to obtain information relating to a distance, a speed, or an oscillation of the measurement object, based on an interference signal of the return light and the reference light,
  • the fiber coupler is formed by a single mode fiber that has a cutoff wavelength that is shorter than the wavelength of the measurement light and longer than the wavelength of the guide light.

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